


tree songs

by halftimethickie



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Basically, Fluff, Happy, M/M, Male Apprentice, bada bing, bada boom, brief mention of Asra, helps u, i came up with this because i love muriel way too much, male apprentice btw!, mild injury?, most of my arcana fics will have a male apprentice probably, muriel - Freeform, ur hurt or something and
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 10:37:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18871495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halftimethickie/pseuds/halftimethickie
Summary: The Apprentice finally gets Muriel to go on a date, but there's a disruption, and well... let's just say the possibility of a date ultimately shrinks.





	tree songs

**Author's Note:**

> i got into arcana two weeks ago and the moment i laid eyes on muriel my heart straight up melted, i love that big boy. what a lad. chunky hermit man
> 
> wrote this with a male apprentice in mind? it's what i usually do anyway
> 
> i apologise for any typos ghfj i suck at catching them
> 
> sorry it's short :( my next fic will be julian/apprentice and it will be longer! ...i think
> 
> btw mr. asra stan (u know who u are) if you're reading this, it's your fault. idk how but it is

You were excited—you couldn’t help it! After all, it was your first date night in a long time. Not with just anyone, but with _Muriel_ , the fearsome and quite lonesome hermit living in the woods. You two had known each other for a long time, thanks to Asra. He told you how Muriel would be perfect for you—of course, you had been embarrassed at first, but now you knew what he meant. Muriel needed to someone to take care of while also being cared for himself.

 

Lost in your thoughts, you bounded through the woods, eager to get to Muriel’s hut. You had even dressed up all nice, just for him—you were wearing your best vest, shirt buttoned and cleaned to perfection, shoes shiny and new, pants with no trace of wrinkles, and elegant white gloves that completed the set. You wore your cloak as to try and not get dirty, however. There needed to be _some_ safety precaution.

 

Humming a somewhat familiar tune that you couldn’t remember the name of, you slowed your run to a walk when you felt that you were nearing Muriel’s hut. The lush blue-green trees and the cold mist around you made you feel oddly at ease. The leaves crunched beneath your feet as you sauntered, and you let out a low sigh. However, when you heard another pair of footsteps behind yours, you paused—but so did they.

 

“Hello?” You called out, looking behind you. There was nothing there, but you still felt a little strange. A scream was caught in your throat when beastly eyes appeared from a bush, bright and yellow. Although you had no time to yell, you made that up by running. Your legs worked harder than they ever had before, and you practically flew through the forest. As you ran, you thought of what it could have been. It was, most likely, a wolf. You still ran, however.

 

All your worries were amplified when you stepped on something smooth. A deafening metal shriek, your own blood-curdling scream as you fell to the ground, and the pain that blossomed from your ankle. Struggling to move, you tried pushing yourself up. On your ankle, you saw the shiny metal teeth of a recently-laid bear trap refusing to let go of you. Blood started to stain your pants and decorate the trap. It hurt like _hell_ , but with no one around, who was going to help you?

 

You weren’t far from Muriel’s hut, were you? Maybe you could call out? You could have sworn you saw dim lights in the distance, but were they _really_ there? You wracked your brain, trying to think of _something._ Nothing came to mind. You couldn't think of a spell that would get you out of this mess. Even if there was one, it would cost you too much energy. So, you remained there, in pain, helpless, crying out at a last resort. Before long, darkness clouded your vision, but you distinctly remembered hearing crunching leaves ahead of you, and those glowing yellow eyes just a bit ahead…

 

* * *

 

Groaning, the first thing on your mind was _pain_. The throbbing of your ankle was subdued by something, but you couldn’t tell what. Your eyes were squeezed shut, your teeth grit, but eventually, you loosened up at the sound of heavy footsteps. Before you stood Muriel, worry and concern etched into every little feature. The sight melted your heart.

 

“Muriel…” you murmured, lifting your hand. You rested it on his cheek and brushed it with your knuckles. “I’m sorry I was late…”

 

Your name rolled off of Muriel’s tongue, warm and familiar to him. “Inanna found you,” he said. It was the first time you saw him look so close to tears. “I thought you were…”

 

“No, no, heavens no,” you shook your head. “Just a little fainting spell, I think. Those traps in the woods are… quite sharp.” you smiled and forced a laugh, but Muriel remained somber. “Darling,” you whispered. “I’m okay.” The name made his eyes even more glossy. He turned his head away from you.

 

“You got hurt. I should have gone to you…” He shook his head. A gentle calloused hand found its way to yours, your hand being more soft and much smaller than his. You squeezed his hand with a gentle grin. When he finally turned his head back to you, he had nothing but guilt in his eyes. "Inanna brought me to you when I should have gone by myself instead."

 

“This isn’t your fault,” you reassured him. “I was clumsy, I... I just wasn’t watching where I was going.” you finally glanced at your ankle, which was wrapped in blankets. That would explain the fuzziness you felt. “...And then I injured myself. No big deal.” You suddenly remembered why you had been going to Muriel’s hut in the first place. “Oh- oh Muriel, I forgot we…” He held up his hand, silencing you. Confused, you raised a brow.

 

“You’re here. That’s... all I want.” He muttered. Then he turned around and sniffed the air. “I need to get something.” Your heart fluttered—you’d never heard Muriel be so honest before. Usually, he’d tell you he loved you not with his words, but with his actions. So him telling you audibly was most _definitely_ something new.

 

Before long, Muriel returned with a steaming bowl of… soup? Now that you thought about it, you hadn’t eaten anything since lunch, and you were dreadfully hungry. Hastily, you accepted the bowl, drinking it almost immediately. It burned your tongue at first, but you figured that a little burn couldn’t be as bad as a bear trap.

 

Muriel sat next to you and awkwardly placed his hand on your shoulder. Then it moved to your arm. Then, your waist. Next, your arm again. You had to bite the inside of your cheek to keep yourself from laughing. Sparing Muriel from any further embarrassment, you took his hand, kissed it, and held it. The faint red creeping across his face was a cute sight to see.

 

“Thank you,” you said. Yawning unexpectedly, you found yourself a little drowsy. The warm blankets and cozy fire were enough to put you to sleep in seconds. Muriel noticed this and took the now empty bowl and returned it to wherever he had gotten it. He sat down next to you again, and you leaned into him.

 

“I’m sorry our date couldn’t happen today,” you sighed. Muriel grunted in response. “You didn’t really want to go in public anyway, did you, big guy?” You poked his side and chuckled. “It’s okay. I like this better, just being with you…”

 

“Me too.” Muriel murmured. You two sat like that for a bit before your eyes started to droop even more. With a grin, you thought of something.

 

“Darling,” you yawned. “Could you sing for me?” Muriel stiffened right away, but he didn’t object. “Asra told me that he once caught you singing a sick chicken to sleep…” Muriel’s face went uncharacteristically red once more. It was, in your opinion, quite adorable.

 

“...sure.” Muriel made you comfy, pulling up more blankets, giving you a kiss on the cheek. He stared at you for a moment before his lips parted, but no sound came out. You knew what he wanted.

 

“Go on,” You whispered. “You can kiss me.” Muriel nodded and leaned down. You wrapped your arms around his neck and played with his hair as his soft lips met yours. It was somewhat of a peck, but Muriel didn’t move away. His lips were still on yours, even when he was done kissing you. It made you smile. “Continue.” Muriel sighed, lips a little pursed.

 

He sang softly onto your lips, an old tune that you could barely remember the words to. His low, husky voice was calm and soothing, lulling you to sleep in no time. The last thing you could remember was him finishing the song, and with the last bit of consciousness left, you heard him whisper,

 

“I love you.”

 

 It was a good night’s sleep from then on.

**Author's Note:**

> i have no idea how his hut works and im too lazy to check canon
> 
> also the chicken part is actually canon but i cant fuckin figure out how to link?? it's on the the arcana tumblr somewhere smh
> 
> p.s. muriel stan gang wya
> 
> P.S.S. WHEN I GOT THE NOTIF THAT BETTIQUA GAVE ME A KUDOS ON THIS I FLIPPED OUT PLS GO READ THEIR WORK IT'S SO GOOD!!!!!


End file.
